"Let's make this quick, but be careful," Kaar cautioned to Selene and Magnus as they moved into the now open room to the northeast. The room itself was not very wide, but had to be close to 40 feet in length. It was completely empty except for an altar that stood along the southern wall. The gunmage and the mage hunter moved forward to inspect the structure, which was covered in green vegetation that looked like moss, and had a magical symbol that neither recognized etched into the altar's face. Upon a more thorough investigation, Magnus was able to locate a hidden chamber within the altar that was unabashedly trapped. It looked mechanical in nature, which required the Dwarf's expertise, and Magnus called to his friend to take a look. Kaar was able to discern the nature of the device and disarm it without incident, even salvaging some of the pieces of what turned out to be a poison needle trap. Wasting no time, the mechanik opened the small panel to reveal a long, thin, silver case with no distinct markings, and two simple latches. Placing the case upon the altar, the dwarf opened the latches to reveal vials of a bluish liquid about the size of his hand. Somewhat disturbing was the fact that there was room for nine vials in the case, with clear depressions of where they should have been; but only five containers of the liquid remained. There was no doubt in Kaar's mind that the substance inside the containers was alchemical in nature, and far from being the expertise of anyone in the group. Magnus stepped up to inspect the vials and noticed barely visible glyphs on the side of each of them. They were not Menite, but actually written in an arcane language both he and Kaar recognized. Together they came to the conclusion that the glyphs were nothing more than identification runes, and indicated that the liquid was some sort of transformation elixir. "Shapechanging, perhaps?" Magnus said out loud, more of a question than an absolute confirmation of fact.

"Aye, could be," the Dwarf concurred. "Mightin' have something ta' do with the rumors we were hearin' about creatures walkin' upright and such."

"You're thinking the sightings are not of creatures being able to walk, so much as people being transformed into animals. Like werebeasts or some type of magical mutation?" Magnus raised an eyebrow as he looked at Kaar.

"Don't know," Kaar responded. "But being this isn't our area of expertise, I think we bring these back to Ceryl ta' someone who knows more about this stuff than us."

"Peelbone?" Magnus asked, already knowing where the dwarf was going with this.

"Yup," Kaar nodded his head. "Morella is young, but she's a smart one. And most important, she's trustworthy. When we get back, let's bring this case to her straight away and see what she can tell us before we be handin' it over to the Workshop."

"You mean, IF we get back," the sometimes pessimistic gunmage said sardonically.

Selene and Derby were already looking at the other door, the one on the other side of the large fountain room to the south. The construction of this section of the Temple was not like the rest. Even to the Elf and Human, it was obvious this hallway and door were not part of the original Menite construction. The closed door leading into the room was completely bare except for a small panel that was barely noticeable where a doorknob would normally be. One touch of the panel and it slid open to reveal an indentation looking exactly like the one the group encountered to enter the temple from outside. Selene quickly inserted her pendant and the door clicked open without issue. The room inside was quite dark, and measured 30 feet by 30 feet. On the far side of the chamber was a brazier, it's coals now nothing but ash. On either side of it were two intricately carved tombs, clearly Iosan in origin. At the base of each tomb was a chest, made of wood with iron bindings and carvings in the language of the Elves. The chests were locked, again with the unique symbol of the half moon being the missing key needed to open them. After a few more minutes of appraisal, and concluding her inspection, Selene turned to the group to explain.

"It looks like the people that sieged the temple however long ago built this room to serve as an Iosan burial chamber, honoring what would have been two highly recognized and decorated members of my race. As is customary, there are no names on the tombs, and no indication of who they were exactly." Pointing to the tomb on the right, she continued. "This Iosan was an explorer, probably even a Seeker. I would imagine he or she was part of the original team that brought down the Menites living here originally. Most likely the lead member of the research team." She pointed to the tomb on the left next. "This person was a warrior, perhaps even a Mage Hunter like myself; and more than likely the Kithai of the group. This term is equivalent to a military officer or commander in Cygnar. Perhaps even the leader of the entire party." She looked contemplative for a moment, then gathered her thoughts and spoke again. "At any rate, my pendant will open the locks on the chests, which would customarily contain one of their more important belongings in life. I shall open these and we can use their contents to help in our journey. The tombs themselves will house their bodies and most prized possessions. These we shall not disturb, regardless of how tempted you may be to get your hands on the items inside. This would be considered sacrilege of the highest order, and I simply can not allow it. Should I expect any arguments to this decision?" she questioned, looking from Kaar to Magnus to Derby.

"You shall not," Kaar answered for the whole group. "Respectin' the dead is something we all understand. You have our full support on yer' decision, lass."

Selene nodded to the group respectfully; followed by a rare smile and gleam in her eye. "Then let's see what Scyrah has deemed us worthy of adding to our collection today," she said excitedly, and proceeded to unlock and open the chests with her pendant.

Going to the Warrior's chest first, Selene opened it and pulled out a long, heavy item wrapped in light blue Iosan cloth. Her eyes lit up momentarily as she lifted a rune-inscribed greatsword of a hybrid design. After inspecting it with Kaar, it became clear the sword was most likely crafted by Iosan smiths and then made into a mechanika weapon by a Rhulish arcane mechanik. This type of thing was not completely unheard of, but it was a rare combination of the races working together to make something of this sort. Regardless of the sword's background though, it was clearly a beautiful weapon that Kaar would inspect at greater length when time allowed in order to determine it's full capability. For now, Selene would gladly hold on to the blade, using the accompanying strap to secure it across her back.The Seeker's chest held a box about 4 feet in length with Iosan inscriptions upon it. Next to the box was a scroll that Selene interpreted for the group. It gave very specific instructions on the proper way the box should be opened in order to not negate the power of the item inside. Selene concluded by saying this was a bit unusual but nothing that surprised her completely; explaining that Seekers can sometimes be an odd group, and even overly dramatic at times when it came to items of lore. Nonetheless, there was no need to take any chances of cursing or spoiling the contents of the box, and she stuffed it into her pack along with the scroll to examine in more detail later.

On a hunch that ended up paying off, Kaar put his hands into the brazier to see if the Iosans had used the ash to hide anything else. Sure enough, the dwarf gave a hearty "Ah ha!" as he pulled out the three missing pieces from the floating diamond shaped object in the fountain room. "I'm bettin' this is our way out of this place, and will hopefully take us to where our Priestess is being kept," he said positively as he held up the three rune tiles. "Let's get movin'!"

"The Dwarven rune should be placed first. Isn't it obvious to everyone!?" Kaar shouted above the rest of the party as they stood in the fountain room and debated among themselves. "Whoever built this puzzle must have known the Great Fathers created everythin' else in the universe, and would have designed this ta' be the first piece placed in the floater."

"What are you talking about?" Selene retorted as if slapped in the face. "Do not subject your race's silly teachings onto the rest of us, dwarf. This puzzle, as you call it, was obviously created by my people, and therefore it is the Iosan symbol that should be placed first."

"Enough of that," Magnus finally stepped in when it became apparent this debate was slowly morphing into some sort of subtle religious argument. "Both of you need to stop confusing your beliefs with what is more likely a scientific answer. Logic dictates that the race associated with the runes is not important, but instead the order of placement is probably related to the order of the seasons."

"Is that so?" Selene replied. "And what season do you propose as being 'first' - considering they are cyclical?"

Magnus had no real answer to what was a very good point, and began to wish he hadn't brought up the theory that the symbols should be placed in a very particular order if the device was to work. He also realized that making the assumption that this floating diamond would open some type of portal to escape the temple was a leap; but he was not about to bring that up now."Look... why don't we just search the temple rooms again and see if we are missing something," Derby finally spoke up after being silent for the last 15 minutes while they argued. "I agree with Selene on one point at least. We should search the bookshelves again in case we missed something. If there is an answer to this, that is where I would store it."

It took less than 10 minutes of thoroughly searching the bookcases in the upper room to reveal that the group had indeed missed a hidden switch that released one of the cases from the wall, exposing a small cubbyhole which hid five more books. Four of the books were written using the Cygnaran alphabet, while the fifth was penned in Shyr, the language of the Elves. Upon quick inspection, every book turned out to be a true treasure for each of the adventurers. There was a book that interested all the investigators, including one on Clockwork Devices that Kaar claimed; one on Ancient History that Magnus clearly took an interest in; one on Deciphering Technique that Derby found fascinating; one on the history of Morrowan Lore that Magnus stuck in his pack for Alexandra; and the one written in Shyr being a codex of strange zoology found in Western Immoran that suited Selene just fine. It ended up being the book on deciphering that held the answer to this puzzle however, and Derby was able to piece it together without too much trouble thanks to her newfound knowledge. The text also revealed to the group exactly what the diamond-shaped object was, and for the first time in some time, their assumptions had been correct. It was indeed a means of travel, quite akin to a portal connecting two points. Unfortunately, it would not end up leading the team to Alex's location; not exactly anyway...

As the companions made their way in a direction that Selene indicated as East, it took almost no time before they could hear a sound coming from up ahead. The portal had deposited the team of investigators back into the forest; somewhere. With no map and no idea whatsoever where they were, the only thing they could do was pick a direction and walk. Making an assumption the teleporter device could not take them too far, they chose east as their direction of movement, as it seemed as good a choice as any. One of things they did know was that they were back in a transitional area between forest and swamp, and heading east would take them further out of the forest and they hoped in the direction of the Black River. Before having a chance to test their theory however, Selene put up a fist to stop the group and said in a low voice, "Shhhh... Listen."

They all heard the noise. It originated almost directly in front of them and sounded like a "thwup", repeating itself about every 15 seconds. Kaar had identified the noise as mechanical in nature, as it was consistent both in sound and rhythm. "That is mechanical, or I'm not a Dwarf," the Arcane Mechanik said to the group. "Hear how the sound is exactly the same each time it thwups, and notice that it occurs exactly every 15 seconds? It almost sounds like some sort of windmill. Who's fer' doin' a bit of scouting?"

"I'll go," Derby responded quickly. "I can move the quietest, and since we are completely lost anyway, it's not exactly like I can get more so. I'll be back in a snap." And with that, the petite young woman was out of sight in the surrounding vegetation. Leaving marks on the small saplings with her knife as she snuck forward, Derby traveled about 70 yards or so when she caught sight of a clearing and could spot the source of the repeating noise maker. She got to a nice cover spot and began to scan the area in front of her. The most noticeable thing about the clearing was the small hovel that sat directly in the middle of it. A few tree trunks were part of the scene, presumably chopped down by the wood axes that were buried deep into their roots. The 'thwup' sound also became obvious, as Sway watched an old mule moving in a circle around an old well in the clearing, in front of the wooden shack. Every quarter turn, whatever piece of equipment was submerged into the well was presumably knocking on a stone or crosspiece, and made a sound to indicate the mule was going about its business as intended. It was not an entirely uncommon device used among farmers who were not always in sight of their work animals to let them know if there was a problem. If the sound stopped, then the farm hands knew the animals had stopped walking. A few more minutes of observation revealed a lone figure in a brown smock on the far end of the hovel. It appeared to be hunched over and carrying some kind of pale. 'Was that a staff in it's hand?' Derby wondered to herself, simply not being close enough to discern fully what she was looking at. As Derby moved her focus to the backside of the house, she could see it was on stilts where it met up with a deeper section of swamp water, but she didn't have a great angle on what looked to be a small porch on the far side. When the thief was convinced the figure was alone, she quietly receded from her position of cover and returned to her friends to report her findings.

"Like I said, a well with a mule walking in a circle around it," Kaar stated with a tone of conviction in his voice. It caused Derby to smile, but no one said so much as a word.

After explaining what she had observed, Derby led the party to her hiding point and Magnus grabbed his spyglass from his pack in order to take a look. Although he could not make out anything more about the figure on the porch, he was able to determine it was wearing some type of shawl and was using a cane to help it walk. "That creature may know where to get Alex back," the ever-positive thinking Dwarf commented after a few minutes.

"Another leap of faith my friend," Derby said with her signature smile. "But... in this case I think we have absolutely nothing to lose. I say we approach it peacefully and hope it understands Cygnaran. Weapons away everyone."

With the exception of Selene, who chose to stay back in cover just in case the social interaction went south, the party moved forward into the clearing with Kaar walking in the lead, straightening his outer wear to look more presentable. Or at least as presentable as possible considering how filthy and disgusting he imagined he must have looked after traveling in the forested swamp for days.

"Ho! In the clearing here; good day!" he spoke loudly in the language of Cygnar.

"Hey yourself. Who's on my property?" came the response. The voice sounded old, and spoke in a weird dialect unfamiliar to the trader, but was unmistakably Cygnaran, thank the Fathers. As the figure approached the travelers, Kaar could clearly make out the 'creature' was actually an elderly human woman, so incredibly hunched over and short of stature, she could easily be mistaken for something else at a distance. In her arms she carried a basket of fish against her hip, with a worn wooden cane helping her to walk around.

"How are you today?" Kaar walked a bit closer and then stopped, not wishing to cause the woman to frighten and retreat into her home.

"Is that a Rhulish accent I hear?" the old woman replied.

Figuring that they were the trespassers here, the woman certainly deserved to have her questions answered first. "Aye, it is! You have a keen ear. Name's Kaar. Kaar Ironfist of Clan Ironfist. Pleased ta' meet ye." As the entire group now approached closer, the woman's walking stick stood out above everything else. Not only was it weather beaten and knotted from end to end, but it had all manner of strange talismans hanging from it; mostly comprised of dead eels, fish and rats.

"Neat staff you have there," Magnus said, trying his best to make casual conversation even though it was far from his forte.

The woman looked at the tall man standing next to the Dwarf. "Oh yes. It's a beauty, isn't it? I like your hat," she followed up, seeming to enjoy having some company. As she watched the party approach to within ten feet or so of her porch, her attention moved to the petite Derby. "Oh dear, would you look at that beautiful hair! Come, come, let Neddy get a closer look at you." The old woman seemed to immediately take to young Derby with her bright red hair, big eyes, and broad smile.

Derby walked up to the elderly woman and took her by the hand. "Hello and good day to you, Neddy. My name is Tricia." It was at this point that Kaar realized Derby was using her favorite alias to converse with the old woman. That meant two things. First, that the young spy was not completely trusting of the situation and the woman herself, switching to her false identity to interact. Second, that Derby would need very little support, as she was extremely skilled at recognizing when she was the team's best bet at positive social interaction results. She would take over the encounter, freeing the dwarf to focus on other things. Observing the two work seamlessly together in their element was very similar to watching Selene, Magnus, and Alex in a combat encounter. It was almost an art form in terms of flow and execution. Neddy handed her cane to the younger man in the wide brimmed hat who obviously took an interest in it, while she leaned on Derby for support to guide the group to the back of the house where she had an old rocker and a barrel with polished rocks sitting atop the lid.

"I wanted to show you something," Neddy said, increasing the speed of her walk ever so slightly as she clearly got excited about being able to show off her works of art. The back of the house was on stilts that seemed quite sturdy and supported the porch as they disappeared into the bog waters. It was early afternoon at this point, and although the weather was muggy and warm, the sun had spent most of the day behind cloud cover, which kept the overall temperature more or less in check. As they got to the rocking chair, Neddy grabbed two flat, polished rocks from the top of the barrel and handed them to Derby and Kaar.

Examining them in great detail, Kaar was clearly impressed with the work. It seemed that Neddy was using some type of polishing paper to take the stones and grind them down to such a smooth state, they actually reflected light to the point of functioning much like a mirror, albeit without the refractive quality of true glass. Derby was feigning her awe at the wondrous items, although in truth she really didn't understand the amount of work it would take to accomplish such a task. The old woman explained to her doting young visitor how every month a runner would come from Corvis to pick up her polished rocks and sell them in the city. He would bring her the earnings from her last batch along with groceries and assorted sundries from town so that Neddy could continue to live in peace away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city. The companions realized that wherever they were, it was obviously close enough to Corvis to make this possible; probably within 30 miles at the furthest. As the two women talked about all manner of things that the dwarf found of little interest, he walked over and examined the polishing paper Neddy was using to accomplish her craft. It appeared to be made out of tree bark, undoubtedly from one of the specimens in the swamp that gave it qualities similar to sanding paper he used to polish wood-stock. Meanwhile, Magnus inspected the woman's cane with great interest, noticing extremely dull and worn symbols inscribed on the shaft. The old woman may have been an arcanist of some type when she was younger, although he doubted she could move those old hands dexterously enough these days to perform the intricate motions necessary to form the runes of power necessary to form a spell. Still, the investigator found it interesting and mildly impressive that she lived out here alone and managed for herself. He imagined living a similar lifestyle when he got too old to perform his trade any longer, understanding the desire for isolation from others. Hell, he barely tolerated it now, and he was far too young to even think about retirement.

Returning the cane to Neddy; Mags, Kaar, and Derby now focused on more pressing matters as Sway had spent the last 15 minutes gaining the old woman's trust. It was time to discuss what they approached for, namely information on where their missing friend may be. Looking over to Derby, who gave him a positive nod and smile, Magnus began. "Neddy, it has been very nice meeting you and all, but the reason we are here is unfortunately not simply for a social visit."

"Well, that's obvious," she replied. "I'm old enough to know people don't come this far out into the Thornwood to research the thirty different species of mosquitoes buzzing around." She nestled into her rocker as she continued. "I'm figuring you're either lost or looking for something; saw my house, and figured I may be able to help you. I'm no fool, young man. Although..." she said with a genuine smile, "it was much better company than I normally get from the occasional passersby," she remarked as she focused on Derby with a grin. "What do you need?"

The next half hour was spent explaining to Neddy the creatures the group had encountered, including the large lizard-like amphibian that they met in the temple, and that their friend had been captured by its group. Neddy explained to the companions that the most common creatures out this way were actually Anura, more commonly referred to as 'Croaks' by humans. They were frog-like bipeds that were not normally hostile, but were sometimes forced into desperate actions due to being beset by more fearsome creatures and species all around their settlements. She also mentioned knowing of a Croak gang that operated out of the forest who would capture explorers and ransom them off for valuables. It sounded to her like this was likely what happened to Alexandra. She told the group not to worry. The Anura would not likely harm their friend, and would send a negotiator who would give them terms for her release. As for the large lizard-like creature, Neddy finally discerned the group was speaking of a creature known as a Bog Trog. She had no idea why a Bog Trog would be involved with the Croaks, unless he was some type of mercenary they hired for added muscle or something. Either way, she knew the general area the gang of Anura frequented, and pointed the team in the direction that would take them there. After a quick farewell, the companions headed deeper into the swamp to where they hoped to find Alexandra.

Sure enough, not even 20 minutes toward their next objective, a situation arose that no one in the group could have expected. Finding a dirt trail through the forested swampland, Selene spotted a bridge that crossed a narrow ravine. About 50 yards from their position, an old wagon was overturned on the side of the trail, wreckage and debris spilling into the creek below. The Mage Hunter waved Magnus up, who took out his spyglass and spotted not only the wrecked wagon, but the bodies of both a woman and a dead horse in the middle of the trail. Off to the side in the dense brush was a cage, similar to something a prisoner might be transported in; although this particular cage was on its side with the door open and no one inside. Putting his spyglass away, Magnus described what clearly seemed to be a prison wagon that had been ambushed. If this is what he thought it was, the group's bad luck was about to get even worse. They wasted no time carefully approaching the wreckage.

As the group got to within 25 yards of the scene, six smallish green figures in ragged clothes peeked their heads out from the wreckage. They looked like gobbers, although not exactly the same as those found in the city of Ceryl. These creatures, although similar in size, appeared much darker in skin color and looked wild. As soon as they spotted the companions they grabbed their belongings and retreated hastily into the waist high brush and immediately disappeared. Giving each other a curious look, Derby spoke up first. "Those things, whatever they are, are scavengers to be sure. They aren't the cause of what we are seeing here. Let's have a look."

The team approached the overturned wagon and its surrounding debris, which appeared at first glance to be nothing more than torn clothing and worthless remains of the tiny caravan. The swamp gobbers must have picked the wreckage clean of anything of real value. As they looked for any signs of Alexandra being a part of this transport, the group heard a noise coming from underneath the overturned wagon. They approached with caution, Magnus spotting a lone gobber trying to hide behind one of the wheels under a pile of clothing, although he was doing a rather poor job of it. Casually backing away, Mags indicated to Kaar that they had a straggler, and the Dwarf approached the creature in as friendly a manner as he could. "Hey there little guy," he said in Cygnaran. "You can come on out. We won't hurt ya."

"No. Nib not come out," came the unsurprising reply from the clothes pile. "Nib not want to get eaten by Croaks. Go away!"

Looking under the wagon, Kaar could see the gobber's long ears and green-white eyes peaking out from the mound of old clothes. He carried a short spear in one hand that was pointed out in front of him in defense now that he was obviously discovered.

"No, no, Nib. We are not Croaks, and will not hurt you. We're looking for our friend, and were hopin' you could help us find her." the Dwarf continued, apparently having some success, as the strange Goblin named Nib started inching his way out from underneath the wrecked wagon remains. As he took one look at Kaar, he began to scratch his ears and scrunched up his face in a weird expression.

"Well, you definitely not Croak. What you?" the Gobber spoke in a very simplistic and broken form of Cygnaran.

"I am a Dwarf," Kaar explained patiently. "We are a great and friendly race that helps people. I promise we will not hurt ya. Please come out."

As the small goblin made his way out from the debris, he began to scan the group that was looking intently at him. Drawing this much attention from a collection of tall folk armed as they were did not exactly put this little fellow at ease. As he looked past Selene, Nib suddenly let out a scream and darted under the wagon again.

The Croaks were upon the party almost before they knew it. If it hadn't been for Nib, the companions would have been caught by complete surprise. Turning around quickly, five toad-like humanoids were rushing to engage the investigators.

Anura, also known as Croaks, were very much as Neddy had described to the companions earlier. And for lack of a better description, they appeared to be human-sized, bipedal amphibians that had a remarkable likeness to frogs. It would have been wondrous, if not even the tiniest bit comical, if it hadn't been for the fact that two of them were carrying spears, two others clubs, and all of them were headed at pretty good speed toward the investigators! But as bizarre as this scene was, it was the actions of the fifth Croak that quite honestly unnerved Kaar and Magnus the most. Stopping short of the companions, this brightly colored Anura raised it's webbed hands in the air and began chanting something in a language no one could interpret. The runes that were being formed in the air around it's arms however were quite recognizable, and caused the entire group to stare for a moment in bewilderment. As the runes disappeared from the creature's arms, they almost immediately reappeared around the body and legs of one its charging friends, appearing to sink into its very skin.

"Mage!" Selene quickly shouted out and raised her already loaded crossbow, letting loose with the bolt at the spear-wielding recipient of whatever spell was cast upon it. The bolt looked to be aimed true when the incredibly dexterous creature managed to dodge out of the way at the last moment, causing the metal shaft to land harmlessly off to the side in the dirt. Cursing to herself, the Mage Hunter quickly dropped her crossbow and drew out her newly acquired great sword from behind her back and waited for the inevitable confrontation.

It was the Gunmage's action that occurred next; after getting over the shock of not only being attacked by giant frogs, but giant frogs that could cast magic spells! Every time Magnus thought he had seen it all, he realized how far from the truth he really was. In one swift action the investigator cast words of power upon his inscripted bullet and loaded it into his gun. "BOOM!" the magelock pistol went off an instant later, it's enchanted payload blowing a hole clean through the chest of one of the other approaching croaks. It toppled over dead as if hit by an oak tree.

But before any of the other members of SI:12 could act, it was the magic-assisted croak's turn to amaze. As the creature was just about to engage Selene and her now readied massive elven sword, it leaped into the air over her head in an impossible jump. Looking closely, Selene could see the runes activate around it's legs as it soared through the air over her head, landing directly behind Mags and stabbing at him with its large spear. Now Magnus would never be foolish enough to claim he was as quick as Derby Sway in a million years; but for that brief moment when he saw the obvious effects of the spellcaster's dweomer, he knew instinctively that dodging out of the way was the only way to avoid what would have been a world of pain. And dodge he did. Right out of the way of a spear that literally missed the gunmage by no more than an inch. Seeing an opportunity to capitalize on the confusion, Derby followed Magnus's narrow escape with two shots from her holdout pistol, directed at the Croak that just attacked her companion. Unfortunately for the young thief, she did this directly in front of the creature, who saw the telegraphed shots coming even as he landed his incredible jump. Twisting out of the way of the attack, the anura watched as Derby yelled something in her language and darted under the wagon next to that cursed gobber that gave away their stealthy attack. Slightly out of breath, Derby cozied up to Nib and smiled at him, "Don't worry little one, I'm here to protect you."

Now it was the Dwarf's turn, and Kaar did not disappoint. Doing a quick survey of the battlefield and how this encounter was quickly shaping up, the Arcane Mechanik put his readied long rifle up to his shoulder with one hand while using the other to point at the Croak standing behind Mags. Kaar shouted words of power and the familiar glowing runes of his arcantrik bolt spell formed around his arm, coalescing into a single energy missile that struck the preoccupied creature in the head, dropping it where it stood. Immediately bringing his free hand up to grab the barrel of his gun and steady it, he let loose with a BANG! that was even louder than the magelock. The bullet found purchase in the magic-wielding Croak's torso, drawing blood but failing to drop the creature.

The other spear wielding Croak charged at Kaar from the opposite side and struck true, piercing the Dwarf's light armor. Yelling out in pain, Ironfist knew immediately this was no minor wound; the enemy had hit him solid and it hurt like hell. To make matters worse, mere seconds after the giant amphibian retracted his spear to ready another attack, Kaar began to feel woozy. He recognized the feeling in short order, and had a terrible realization that the spear tip that had pierced his flesh was coated in some type of toxin. This was not going to end well.

Meanwhile, as Selene was still getting used to the heft and weight of the new great sword, her defenses were not as sharp as normal. Another Croaker, this one with a club in hand - struck her solidly on her leg, causing the Iosan to wince as she tried to move to a more favorable position. Things appeared to be going poorly for the companions when the Anura Mage focused on Magnus and began chanting once again. Runes of power danced about her hands and two separate magical attacks were unleashed at the gun mage. Continuing to show off dexterity that would make Derby proud, Mags was able to dodge both attacks with ease. 'Another bullet dodged,' he thought to himself, too focused on the battle to realize the irony of his silent pun. And now it was Selene's turn to attack, and if Magnus didn't know any better, he would have sworn her eyes lit up like embers as she targeted the enemy magic user with her great sword and arced a slashing attack that put a gash so deep into the Anura's midsection, she was certain she had cut it in half. But just as the blade was leaving the flesh it had just so cleanly cut, an ornate talisman that had been hanging on the creature's sash lit up brilliantly and then exploded into a million little pieces. As it did so, the Croak could feel it's magic instantly course through its body and heal the wound as if it never even happened! The creature let out a hideous laugh as the artifact had quite literally saved it's life. "What kind of foul magic is at play here, witch?!?" Selene yelled at the thing as she hefted her sword back into a defensive position.

Recovered from his near misses, Magnus focused his next attack on the two Anura now engaged with the Mage Hunter. Whispering the language of magic once more into his readied bullet, the gun mage pulled the trigger on 'Flint' again; and again struck true. The Croak with the club that had injured Selene's leg was caught dead on, and toppled over a nearby log as the force of the encorcelled shot knocked it backward and killed it upon impact. Magnus was on a roll, and his heart was pounding with excitement as he felt unstoppable.

Kaar, despite feeling the poison coursing through his veins, was not deterred. Casting another Arcantrik Bolt at one of the two remaining Croaks, the Dwarf's missile flew unerringly to strike the creature mid-chest, causing it to fall to the ground in a smoldering heap of flesh. "Ha! Take that ya' bastard!" the Mechanik yelled out, feeling more wobbly by the second.

One on one against the spell caster now, Selene moved forward toward the Mage as the Anura began her chanting and her hands outstretched to target the Elven hunter. The survivor of this showdown would very likely come down to who got their attack off first. Selene's eyes began to widen as she suddenly realized the spell would trigger before she would even be able to start her downswing, and she braced herself for the inevitable impact of what could be the last casting she ever saw.

But the spell never came. Instead, Selene saw Derby Sway run past her in a blur and unload two shots at point blank range into the creature's gut with her holdout pistol. Runes died in mid-formation, and the Anura's eyes went cold and empty in an instant as the Croak went stiff and toppled over face first into the dirt. The last enemy down, Derby holstered her pistol and gave the much taller woman a pat on her behind. "And that's how it's done, my friend!" she said in a playful tone as she turned toward the rest of the group feeling quite victorious despite spending the majority of the battle watching from under the wagon.

The battle won, the companions were breathing heavily as they looked around to assess the damage done to both themselves and each other. Derby and Magnus were tired but in fine health, never being in any real danger thanks to their tactics. Selene was nursing a leg injury that she waved off as something that would recover in time. That left the Dwarf, who was wobbling and shaking uncontrollably from the poison that his body could not shake. As the group slowly approached him to make sure he was ok, they watched in horror as Kaar's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fell to the ground spitting up blood...